In a ceremony held June 3rd at San Diego Fire Station 47, five local fire agencies took delivery of an OES Type 3 Engine to boost local firefighting capabilities and pre-position assets for fire season. The new apparatus is a “down payment” on one of the core recommendations made by the CPF co-sponsored Blue Ribbon Fire Task Force.
Newport Beach Firefighters Local #3734 is saddened to announce the loss of one of their brother firefighters, in the line of duty. Firefighter Kevin Patrick Pryor , 31, suffered a fatal brain aneurysm shortly after returning home from a strike team at the Humboldt Fire June 15.. Memorial services are set for Tuesday, June 24th at 12:00 noon at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village. CLICK HERE for more info.
When LA City firefighter Harold Burba was dispatched to the Ambassador Hotel on the night of June 4, 1968, his job was to photograph possible fire code violations. He wound up as a witness to history. Just after midnight on June 5th, documented the immediate aftermath of the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Burba's photos were published late last month by the Los Angeles Firefighter, the official newspaper of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, Local 112.
Wind, weather and tough terrain have hampered containment efforts in the massive Indians Fire in the Los Padres National Forest. The 51,000 acre blaze is 51% contained as of Saturday afternoon. Two more fires have started in the Big Sur area, forcing more firefighters to join the 2,500 firefighters already on scene, and has prompted voluntary evacuation notices for portions of southern Monterey County.
The extraordinary rash of lightning-caused wildland fires in Northern California has dramatically underscored the critical statewide natural disaster risk facing California in the 21st Century. This week, the Blue Ribbon Fire Task Force renewed its call for California’s policy makers at all levels to “get real” about the ongoing fire threat with more equipment and personnel and a serious commitment to fire-safe land-use planning.